The magnitude of the 8.9 earthquake which triggered a tsunami leaving in its wake untold destruction in Japan Friday, provided an ample backdrop albeit in a different setting when a tsunami of sorts came in the form of a protest rally in this city designed to oppose the controversial Reproductive Health Bill. Although it may not be as powerful as the Japan calamity, the local version served notice that in this part of the Philippines, the Catholic Church and other concerned sectors were bent to block the passage of reproductive health bill, also known as House Bill No. 5043 or “Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008.” The dioceses of Tagbilaran and Talibon joined forces to hold a protest with other sectors to dramatize their opposition to the proposed law which is now the subject of intense debate in media forums all over the country.

The Tagbilaran rally saw six assembly points scattered in strategic areas of the city and the participants proceeded to the rally site in front of the St. Josep[h Cathedral where different speakers took turns to lambast the demerits of the bill. Initiated by the Bohol Clergy and church dignitaries representing church-based organizations, the rally participants were also made up of the faithful representing the different parishes under the dioceses of Tagbilaran and Talibon. The Most Rev. Leonardo Medroso, D.D., bishop of Tagbilaran, was the main speaker with his speech centering as usual his position against the bill saying that it was anti-family, anti-life and anti-church. Sanitized as responsible parenthood bill, Bishop Medroso considered it as one of the 12 priority bills of the present administration looming for approval in Congress. He said the provisions of this bill includes legalization of abortion, sex education on the youth that create confusion; massive promotion of the artificial birth control methods which have been proven as cancer-causing and hazardous to women's health (pills, IUD, injectables, condoms, sterilization, etc.). Bishop Medroso added that if approved, “we the Catholic taxpayers will be made to pay to fund these programs which are oppressive and in violation of the universal freedom and the freedom to live our faith in an environment that is free of coercion and harassment. He added that violation to this bill, apply to government and private sectors, which are subject to imprisonment and fines.

 3,000 STRONG

The peaceful prayer-march-rally whose participants were mostly students and teachers of private schools  here mostly run by the religious sector, lay people, and parishioners numbering more than 3,000 came as the growing number of congressmen of House of Representatives is mounting and was reportedly determined to pass the bill. Placards made of cardboard and other materials of various shapes and sizes said it all. One said this way, “Reproductive Health Bill Is Not About Health But About Birth Control Eradicating Poverty By Eliminating the Poor.” Another boldly vented its anger proclaiming “No To RH Bill, Yes to Life” and “Face it, Abortion Kills A Person.” Another puts it this way, “ Population Control Supakon. Graft and Corruption Maoy Puohon.” “Life is a Gift, Defend It,” “We Stand for Life, We Choose Life,” “Protect the Unborn” others bared. Placard-bearing marchers from as far as Talibon diocese and nearby towns started their walk from six assembly areas --- Dauis-Tagbilaran coastal junction, Agricultural Promotion Center, Victoria Memorial cemetery in Taloto and cockpit arena here, all about the same distance of two kilometers leading to St. Joseph Cathedral where they converged and speakers took turns on lambasting the RH Bill.

The influential Catholic bishops have continued to block the bill, which they alleged it might promote abortion and use of contraceptives. The bill, which is still subject to deliberations, may be passed by the House but it might as well undergo an uphill battle in the Senate where many aspirants for President may side with the Church ultimately, reports said. The Church-sponsored prayer-march-rally, which is very much different from those initiated by the militant activists, culminated in a holy mass at the Cathedral. It was not immediately known if the Church is also against the proposed Provincial Ordinance, “nacting Reproductive Health Care and Providing Funds Thereof,” which is similar to the House proposed Bill. House Bill No. 5043 (Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008)” is mainly authored and introduced by Congressmen Edcel C. Lagman, Janettte L. Garin, Narciso D. Santiago III, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel and Elandro Jesus F. Madrona. It is a substitution to HB Nos. 17, 812, 2753 and 3970.

NO SHORT CUTS

 Meanwhile, City Mayor Dan Neri Lim added his strong voice against approval of the population bill. There are no short cuts when it comes to responsibility. This was the main argument raised by Mayor Lim as he bared his stand against the controversial Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. “My main opposition to the bill is its effort to take a short cut in addressing a complicated, growing and persistent problem,” the mayor declared. He noted that when people take short cuts, they evade the main roads and sometimes jump over fences. The mayor said the problem is not really so much about over-population but a mind set of irresponsibility that the state must admit and address. “The problem is about people who should not have married in the first place because they are not prepared for it and because they are not willing to take responsibility,” he added. Unfortunately, the mayor said politicians do not want to “call a spade a spade” so they would rather go with the euphemisms.

He said the problem is not about the number of children in a family but the inability of the couple to give the children the kind of life and future that they deserve. “Let us assume that the contraceptive methods succeed and we hold down our population to acceptable levels, did this make irresponsible parents responsible?” he asked. Lim said that even if a couple has only two or even one child, if they remain irresponsible, the state is only fooling itself. “What the state needs to do is deliver the message that it will not allow parents to have as many children as they want without consequences to their irresponsible actions,” the mayor said. If he has his way, the mayor said the solution is not to give them a toy so they can do what they want and not be afraid about having more children but to make them account for their children.

In the past, Lim had advocated for legislation that would penalize parents whose children are deprived of education simply out of neglect and irresponsibility. The mayor wants legislation that he said would prompt parents to think twice before considering another child lest they end up with penalties for depriving their children the rights provided for under the Constitution. “People who know they will get into trouble do not need much convincing to cooperate,” he added. Unfortunately, the mayor said many politicians would rather placate the people instead of warning them about dire consequences. “Responsible people do not need anybody else to tell them that how many children they can afford to raise and do not need the government to tell them that they are responsible for their children,” he added. The mayor said that responsible parents know that they do not only need to spend for their children but should also provide for the physical, moral and spiritual guidance of their children.

“If it has to use police power, the state should compel parents to perform their duties to their children instead of assuring them that they can do as they want,” he added. The mayor said it is fashionable to blame the government for many things that go wrong in this country but irresponsible parents should not be allowed to pass on the blame to the government for not doing what is expected of them by their children. “Politicians and administrations come and go but parents only have one lifetime to be parents to their children,” he added. The mayor said that as a parent, he would rather be a good father under a bad government than have a good government and still be a bad parent. “Our children are our responsibility, the state should only come in when we are dead,” he added. Lim said he initially intended to attend the anti-RH bill rally last Friday but reconsidered at the last minute. “I don't want the rally to be misconstrued as political,” he intimated. The mayor said that since the start, he has